When Darkness Falls - LOKI - Book One (Editing)

5. Little One ✓

     "Are you ready little one?" Fandral asked as he took stance next to Athelia, his dainty sword at the ready. He eyed the Goddess, still not sure if this had been the right move, but when she quipped back, he remembered her first few weeks here and how it took him, Sif, and the rest of the Warriors to put even the slightest dent in her armor.

     "You know, Fandral, you are going to have to stop calling me that," she said with a gentle laugh. "Being small only makes it easier to level larger men. Underestimation is key to my survival."

     The Warriors chuckled, but it was short-lived as the Marauders had begun to emerge from the wood line. Athelia gazed around, taking in her smoky surroundings. Vanaheim had been under siege for far too long, and though the burning huts and screaming children would bring any warrior a slight discomfort, it filled Athelia with a rush so wicked that even she feared it upon occasion.

     "And though she be but little, she is fierce."

     "What?" She asked, the seduction in his voice throwing her off guard. She looked up at him, much like she had to do with everyone else around her, and he only smiled.

     "It's from a book."  

     "I wasn't aware you read Fandral." Volstagg jested, causing all but Sif to chuckle.

     The mood quickly turned sour as Athelia's hand shot out, catching a carved spear in her hand just inches from her head. She admired the carved bone that had no doubt taken ages to carve into a weapon, but instead of breaking it off to add to her collection, she stepped forward and threw it back at the masked marauder it had come from.

      The marauders we're upon them quickly, from every which direction they could see, pouring out of the surrounding forests like an infestation that she was gladly ready to rid the world of. Lady Sif watched her every move in annoyance as she struck down the incoming lot on her own, not sure if it was the way the odd woman carried herself or the fact that she was no longer the only female her closest allies would turn to for help. Any other warrior would have been overwhelmed with the surge of bodies that surrounded her, but Fandral insisted they let her release a bit more steam before joining.

     "You really thought this to be a good idea?" Volstagg questioned his enamored friend, his ax lazily resting on his shoulder. He watched as Athelia lay blow after blow, swinging her sword as if she had been born with it. "Odin is not going to be happy with the lot of us."

     "Us?" Lady Sif scoffed. "The lot of us are not the ones who brought the future queen into battle. Honestly, Fandral, did you even think this through?" 

     Fandral glared over at his friends. The look on Sif's face pained him yet amused him at the same time. He held his tongue as a jab came to mind, but a flash of white light drew his attention, and he took a stance, eyeing the circle of lifeless Mauaraders that circled Athelia. His eyes widened as they fell to her arms. Her cracked bracers revealed the thin bracelets on each of Athelia's wrists, each seeming to glow hotter than molten stone. 

     Athelia, on the other hand, was less than intrigued or thrilled with the situation. 

    She had almost forgotten what it felt to be bound to her power, but it was the swift reminder she needed not to get carried away. She took a deep breath as she stared down at the burnt flesh around the binds, shaking her hands violently. And though the pain didn't seem to last long, the warriors couldn't help but notice she began to hold back with her blows.

     Athelia wiped the blood from her sword against her thigh and smiled at the lot of them, hoping they hadn't seen her falter. Though it was apparent, they had, as they stared at her in such a way that made her wish she hadn't come at all.